Hot on the heels of hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy and his first Pro Bowl appearance, Pro Football Focus’ top ranked guard (+29.4) Jahri Evans got paid. His 7-year deal could max out at $56.7 million as the Saints made a statement that they think Evans is the top guard in the game. He had 96 positive run blocks and a staggeringly low 28 negative blocks (where only 9 were failed blocks). He was the best in 2009.

But one season doesn’t make him a better player than Mankins.

Mankins was better in 2008 and has produced more consistently over the early years of his career. The difference between the two is negligible, and the since both men found themselves in as restricted free agents heading into the off season, there’s a perfect comparison for Mankins in assessing his value.

So why won’t the Patriots pay?

PFF provides an interesting analytical look at the situation, and surmises the reason might be that the Patriots don't put a huge value on guards in general, which is fair. What do you guys think?